Page 61 of Fatal Thrill
“She wanted to bring the family into the modern age. She had these big ideas. She dreamed of moving to America. I think that may be why her and Henry got along so well. They thought they were going to create an empire in America. That life was just one bigadventure.”
Jaya sat back, processing. “So maybe it wasn’t just Grandpa who put all those crazy ideas in my father’s head about the lostcross.”
“I saw him.” The sixteen-year-old boy named Neenan came forward out of the shadows, his gaze pinned on Jaya. “Yourdhaid.”
“You what?” Jaya came to her feet. “Where?”
At that moment, Colton’s voice echoed in her ear. “Heads up. Percy the fecking prick ishere.”
Jon touched his comm. “Roger that. And park the snide commentary, already, willyou?”
Shelby and Miles rushed in from a side room, Shelby’s face grim and her wet hair plastered to her neck. “Good,” she said, “because we’re gonna needhim.”
Claude came to his feet like a rabbit about to bolt. “What is going on? Who are these people?” hedemanded.
“Friends,” Jon replied, just as the front doors swung open and the man who must have been Detective Maitland entered, soaked to thebone.
Claude and the other Gypsies straightened, eyes going wide, and Jaya feared they might take off and run at the sight of the cop. She couldn’t blame them—she knew they were constantly harassed by the Garda, much like the homeless were inAmerica.
Claude grabbed Neptune’s wheelchair. The smallest of the children ran to hide behind Kelli’slegs.
“Wait,” Jaya said before anyone could take off. She pointed at Detective Maitland. “Stay put. You’re not harassing these people.” Then she turned to Claude and Neptune. “Same goes for you—stay right where you are. No one’s going anywhere until you tell me about mydad.”
Jon admiredJaya’s take-charge voice that echoed all the way to the rafters. Her finger, pointing at the various parties, was doingovertime.
Percy held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I’m not here to harassanyone.”
Kelli broke the tension. “Good to see you, PercyJohn.”
“Wait.” Jaya glanced back and forth. “You guys know eachother?”
Percy came forward, leaned over Neptune and kissed both of her cheeks. “Mhamo.”
“That’s his grandmother,” Charlotte whisperedconspiratorially.
“Oh,” Jaya said. Then, “Oh! Thatmeans…”
Kelli and Charlotte both nodded as Percy grinned at her. Kelli said, “Jaya O’Sullivan meet your second cousin, Percy John Maitland. We keep trying to get him to change his given name to something more Gypsy-sounding, but his mother was a good English woman who loves PercyShelley.”
“Shelley is the finest lyric poet in the English language.” Percy was a big guy with a broad chest, muscular thighs, and thick arms. He stuck a hand out to Jaya. “You be Sean’sdaughter?”
She shook his hand, still a bit dazed, and nodded. “I am. Keanna was mygrandmother.”
It had to be a lot, meeting all these relatives, even though this is what she’d claimed to want. Jon felt her happiness inside his own chest. He’d had the same longing buried deep inside him, to know and be accepted by his extended family, foryears.
Jaya introduced Jon and then Miles and Charlotte. “And you’ve already met Shelby, Ibelieve.”
Percy nodded at Shelby, wiping water from his brow before speaking again to Jaya. “I didn’t realize you were here. I’m sorry I don’t have any news on Finn or yourdad.”
Jon placed a protective hand on Jaya’s lower back. “Some of the people after the cross have made threats against her. I’ve been trying to keep her secluded, but she was determined to see this place because of her connection toit.”
“It’s rich with familyhistory.”
“It’s also got an unmarked grave in the cemetery,” Shelbysaid.
Jaya’s breath hitched. “Isit…?”
Miles shook his head. “The body isfemale.”
